A glimpse into the daily lives of North Koreans. EDITOR'S NOTE _ Jean H.

Lee, The Associated Press bureau chief in Seoul, and David Guttenfelder, AP's chief Asia photographer, have made numerous reporting trips to North Korea in recent years. They were granted unprecedented access on their latest journey to Pyongyang and areas outside the nation's showcase capital By JEAN H. LEE Associated Press PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) _ A little boy skips along grasping a classmate's hand, his cheeks flushed and a badge of the Great Leader's smiling face pinned to his Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt.

The latest snapshot is not good. New TV footage has revealed that North Korea is again facing failed harvests. The footage shows young children already suffering from chronic hunger and disease. It is understood the state has slashed food rations to just 200 grams a day. This footage was shot in North Korea's South Hwanghae province by Alert Net, the humanitarian news service run by the Reuters news agency.

Liberty in North Korea. Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is the only full-time grassroots organization in North America devoted to the North Korean human rights and humanitarian crises.

LiNK provides protection and aid to North Korean refugees hiding in China and, utilizing a modern-day underground railroad through Southeast Asia, rescues refugees and helps them to reach freedom. LiNK’s global grassroots movement works to redefine public perception on North Korea, shifting attention away from the politics and onto the people, and provides a way for concerned citizens to come alongside the North Korean people and help bring about positive change.
North Korea. North Korea: Children Face Starvation As Malnutrition Pictures Emerge.

By Holly Williams, Sky correspondent Food shortages are leaving many children in North Korea severely malnourished, with aid groups warning that some could face starvation without access to food.

Rare pictures from inside North Korea show children suffering from acute malnutrition. In a hospital ward in South Hwanghae Province, emaciated toddlers are shown daubed with antiseptic, and attached to drips. All show signs of malnutrition, including skin infection, hair loss and stunted growth. "The natural disasters of last year and this year have forced the people to live on potatoes and corn," said Dr Jang Kum-som of the South Hwanghae Paediatric Hospital. "Because people aren't taking proper nutrition, the number of patients has increased.
" A bitterly cold winter and a summer of typhoons and floods have wiped out most of North Korea's grain harvest.

In a country already facing food shortages, the natural disasters have raised the spectre of starvation.
On the Spot with Kim Jong-il. Ordinary Lives in North Korea. Peering into North Korea. PHOTOS: A Rare Glimpse Into Daily Life In The Capital Of North Korea. Rare Pictures from Inside North Korea - Photo Essays. Recent scenes from North Korea. Tension in the Koreas. Yesterday, November 23rd, North Korea fired scores of artillery shells at the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing at least four (two soldiers, two civilians), wounding 18 more, destroying several houses, and setting numerous fires in one of the most serious clashes between the two countries in decades.

North Korea claimed it was a response to earlier shells fired by South Korea - which the South acknowledged had been fired, but as an exercise, and not into North Korean territory. 70,000 South Korean troops were beginning an annual nationwide military drill called "Safeguarding the Nation" in the area, near the spot where a South Korean naval vessel was sunk in March, killing 46 sailors - which Seoul also blamed on North Korea. This picture taken on November 23, 2010 by a South Korean tourist shows huge plumes of smoke rising from Yeonpyeong island in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea on November 23, 2010.
The Amazing, Decaying North Korea Fun Fair.

Check out these amazingly depressing photos from the Mangyongdae fun fair in North Korea!

Taken by Alex Hoban of Vice Magazine (who did a great, biting writeup), they show a theme park in dangerous dis-repair… can you imagine getting on that roller coaster rusting away?! After waiting an hour for an attendant to bang some bolts back into place, Alex did it and lived to tell the tail. Known in some circles as the most amazing man in the universe, he once saved an entire family of muskrats from a sinking, fire engulfed steamboat while recovering from two broken arms relating to a botched no-chute wingsuit landing in North Korea. When not impressing people with his humbling humility, he can be found freelance writing, finding shiny objects on the internet, enjoying the company of much-appreciated friends and living out his nomadic nature.